Here’s How to Choose Between a Resume in PDF or Word

Well, that depends on how a company wants you to apply for a job. One isn’t necessarily better than the other.

So, the first thing you will want to do is to check if there are any specific guidelines concerning the format of your resume.

If the job description or online application gives you specific instructions, follow them. That’s all you have to do.

If you are sending your resume directly to a human being or there are no specific instructions, consider saving your documents in multiple formats (PDF, .doc, .docx) so that you can pick and choose which to send in different situations.

Here are the pros and cons of PDF resumes:

Pro For The PDF Resume Format

Virtually everyone can open a resume in PDF format on their computers.

Saving your document as a PDF ensures that the formatting will not get messed up when a user opens it.

Creating a PDF resume gives you more creative freedom (more on that later).

Cons For The PDF Resume Format

Some ATS software may have trouble reading PDF resumes.

If you’ve used a PDF resume format to make your resume more creative, ATS software may skip parts of your resume as it will not read graphics or text hidden in images.

Here are the pros and cons of submitting your resume in Microsoft Word formatting:

Pros For The Word Resume Format

Everyone has Word. Everyone. Well, unless they live in a remote part of the world in a cave with no access to computers. And in that case, you might want to send your resume via Owl ala Harry Potter.

Your formatting can get seriously messed up if a hiring manager opens your resume in Word or with another tool other than Word.

Others have the ability to change or delete sections of your resume in a doc file either deliberately or accidentally.

You do not have the creative flexibility that you may feel you need to express yourself.

Let’s assume that your resume needs to pass a round of ATS before it lands in the lap of a human reviewer.

If you know there is a big chance that your resume is going to pass through ATS here are the rules about formatting:

No charts, graphs, images, text boxes, or special formatting of any kind.

Do not use special symbols to separate information unless they are standard symbols on a keyboard (- / *).

Only upload a resume in a Word file (.doc / .docx) not your PDF resume, RTF, or JPG.

At times, you will not have to send a resume at all. The system will require you to cut and paste text from your resume into text boxes online.

In other cases, you will send your resume directly to a human. If that’s the case, you may want to send your resume as a PDF.

Especially if you want your resume to maintain formatting and if are applying for a creative job that requires your resume to reflect a particular skill set such as graphic design.

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Why Sending a PDF of Your Resume Is Important

The best advice is to keep a file saved both ways - PDF and .docx - that way you can pull out either one in a given situation.

Here’s the thing. Handing in a resume for a job application as a PDF is a good idea if you want your resume to look exactly the way you’ve made it.

When a recruiter attempts to download a resume in a doc file, it can mess up the formatting enough to result in the accidental removal or rearrangement of content.

That’s why choosing the right format for sending a resume is important. Even if the ATS robots can read it - people need to have a good experience too.

Another thing about PDF resumes is that you can create them using software like Photoshop or InDesign, which gives you much more freedom in how you layout or graphically design your resume.

It’s a good idea for creatives to use PDF if they want to do something fancy with the design of their resume.

You can always copy and paste text from a PDF if you are going to fill in an online application and then send your full resume in PDF file formatting later when a hiring manager has invited you to do so.

Ultimately, it’s up to you, but it’s easy to export a Word resume in doc format into a PDF format and vice versa to have both.

Key Takeaway

Remember to keep these points in mind as you save your resume format:

With the birth of Applicant Tracking System software, it is now more crucial than ever to remember that tiny details such as how you save your resume are important.

It may not seem like a big deal, but if you send a resume that is not formatted to pass through ATS software, then there is virtually no chance of your resume reaching a human recruiter.

If you want to keep your resume in the running, make sure you’ve given yourself a fighting chance by creating both a Word resume and a PDF resume.

Still not convinced that one format is better than the other? Let us know in the comments, and we will do what we can to address your concerns. Thanks for reading!

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Author

Natalie Severt

Natalie is a writer at Zety. She loves writing about resumes and eating tacos more than life itself. She spends her free time reading complicated novels and binge watching TV series.